Reenforced tank



Feb.20, 1 934. l l w..1. slMolNl-Ds 1,948,137

REENFORC ED TANK Filed oct. 2e. v1932 "imam J6 75 JZ Patented Feb. 20, 1934 l UNITED STATES REENFORCED TANK Warren J. Simonds, Orange, Mass., assigner to Rodneyv Hunt Machine Company, Orange, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 26, i932. Serial No. 639,664

V 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a tank or tub capable of being used as a dye kettle or a vat for containing hot or cold water, dye liquors, bleaching solution, or the like.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide a tank, made of thin metal, with means for holding the walls so that they will not change their shape when the tank is filled or emptied, thus avoiding the breaking of the metal due to repeated flexing and consequent fatigue set up therein and also to avoid the cast iron and steel reenforcements heretofore thought necessary; to provide a construction in which the metal used can be of a comparatively thin section, thus reducing the cost and weight of the tank, reducing the cost of transportation and supporting iioor requirements, increasing the life of the tank and also increasing its simplicity.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dye kettle constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views on the lines 2 2, 3 3 and 4 4 respectively, and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 5 5, showing a means which can be employed in the manufacture of the tank for holding the side in the position in'which it is desired to retain it after construction.

Owing to the fact that the. various liquors employed act on the metals that were used in former times to rust them and break them down, it. has been found to be necessary to make dye kettles and similar tanks of stainless metals, such as monel, Allegheny, nickel, chromium nickel, etc. As these metals are expensive they have been cut down in thickness. This fact has introduced new complications. These metals, in the thin form in which they are used, will come and go with the conditions existing. VBy this it is meant that when a tank or kettle, having as vusual flat sides and ends, is filled with the water or other liquid, the sides and ends bulge out. They stay in that condition until the liquor is drawn oft and then they resume their flat condition. This filling and vemptying occurs very often, especially in dye kettles, and the result is that the metal is flexed back vand forth so often that fatigue is set up in it and the metal is weakened byA this procedure at the points at which the flexing takes place. These points are at the ends and corners. These corners are all welded or otherwise secured and the joints are weakened additionally so/that the life of the tank is materially reduced.,r Furthermore, there is'no' practical way of repairing such a break as the strength of the metal is gone.

This fact has been known for s ome time and it has led to the use of a cast iron framework (Cl. 22o-71) on the outsidefalong the sides or ends ,of the tank, or both, to provide the necessary thickness. Steel frameworks are sometimes used inplace of the cast iron. Metal consisting of two plies is y sometimes used, as for example, a wall a quarter of an inch thick has ten percent made of expensive stainless metal but even in -a case like this a steel frame reenfor'cement is employed. I have found that either the cast iron or steel reenforcement has proven seriously objectionable on account of rust formed by the chemicals employed in the processing liquor, which frequently splashes over on these reenforcements or cones in contact with them otherwise.

It will be noted that, in the above mentioned construction, a plain flat wall is made andV it is attempted to keep it in that condition instead of allowing the wall to convex when lled with water orthe like and then return to normal position. This was thought to be necessary because it is, of course, the flexing that causes the main diculty. By my invention these difliculties are avoided by the simple expedient of first iiexing the metal out or convexing it to the same form that it would have if filled with liquid and then welding a reenforcing strip on it so that the wall is always convex and never allowed to swing back. In

otherwwords I have attacked this problem from v a differentangle with the result that the new construction presents advantages in the form of economy, durability and lightness. v

In the drawing is shown a dye kettle of rectangular construction formed of thin' sheets of an lacid resisting metal such as Monel metal or any of the others mentioned or any metal suitable for the irpose. All parts including the sides, ends and bottom are permanently welded together to obtain a permanent tank, vat or kettle suitable to receive dyes, bleaching liquoror any liquid, sometimes in a boiling conditiont Before assembly, however, the sides are turned out at the top and bottom to obtain ledges 10 and 11 for strengthening. The ledges 11 at the bottom also serve as feet or foundations for supporting the tank. End ledges 12 also are provided, bent outwardly and the top ledges preferably are bent inwardly at 13 and soldered to the side ledges at their ends. All this tends to strengthen the construction and permit 'oi' the use of a comparatively thin stainless metal for the walls oi' th same.

After the tank is nally welded as stated and is a complete unit, the sides'and bottom, as well as the ends, arevirtually in a ilat shape. If nothing more were done to the tank this flat surface would be forced outwardly when liquid was introduced up to a level near the top of the tank.

Under these circumstances the top and bottomv shape on account of the ledges which have been provided as reenforcements.

In order to prevent the intermittent breathing of the walls in andout with the lling and empty- -5 ing of the tank and the consequent objections above indicated, "one wall after another is bent out of its iiat shape into a convex shape on'the outside by some such method as indicated in Fig. g 5. In this case the tank is supplied with a. pair of lib loose wooden pieces 16 put in againstone side and extending up and down inthe tank. `.A solid wooden piece 17 is placed in contact' with them and a piece of wood 18 is placed against the opposite side of the tank. Jack screws 19, or some @similar pressure producing devices, are introduced between these pieces 17 and 18 and the side wall which is now being operated' upon is bent into a convex position outside. about by the fact that the outer edge of the piece 18 is curved to approximately the same'curvature I"that this wall of the tank would assume if it were fllledwith water or other liquid. This piece 18,which constitutes a iorm, is introduced at iabout the middle of the vheight of the liquid that would normally be in the tank. While the wall is held convex in this manner,A being of course curved outwardly not only longitudinally along the side but vertically as well, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, a rib 20 is applied. This rib preferably is formed of the same Ystainless metal of which the walls of the tank are formed. It is formed of angular hollow shape and arranged to extend from end to end of the wall. The opposite edges 21 are scribed or cut out to a concave shape to Just iit the convexed wall of the tank. It is placed in position along the side of the tank and the edges are welded to the tank throughout their length or otherwise secured thereto. Also the end ofthe rib is fixed to the flanges 12 in the same way. This action is repeated on the other side and preferably the two ends and the bottom. This reenforcing rib is hollow but very strong owing to its shape and it holds the side y wall permanently ilexed outwardly, as indicated in the several figures. Thus, when the liquid is introduced, as shown in Fig. 2, the walls are in their natural state, which they would assume ii.' they did not' have this reenforcing rib. There is no bending or flexing of the walls by the introduction of the liquid. Now when the liquid is discharged these walls are still held in their o utwardly bulging condition by the ribs and also some aid is received from the ledges that have been mentioned. Thus vthis wall does not come and go or breathe and the metal cannot become fatigued. Therefore the metal does not weaken. In this way a tank. vat or kettle is provided, which is devoid of the diiliculty due to the v:Ea-- tiguing of the metal. which has been present with these articles since it became necessary to make them oi' very thin stainiessmetal. I'he life oi the article is greatly increased, the steel or iron strengthening frameworfs are entirely avoided. the article is of light weight and yet strong and durable and it contains no parts made of metals easily attacked by the acids and the other liquids which are adapted to be used in these containers. Although Ihave illustrated and described only one form oi the invention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited in this respect otherwise than as set forth ln the claims but what I do claim is:'

This is brought person skilled in the art without departing from 1. As an article of manufacture, a container having substantially rectangular side walls, said side walls being convexed outwardly from a ilat plane at a point between the top and bottom, to the shape and condition which they would assume if under a Vstate of stress from the inside equal to that whichwould be imposed on said walls bythe pressureof the normal contents, the top and bottom extreme edges being substantially in original vertical alignment, and horizontal ribs respectively secured to the outside surface of each side wall substantially throughout its length, and located a material distance from the top'and bottom of the respective wall, to hold the wall in its convex shape.

2. As an article of manufacture, a tank for holding liquids comprising walls having straight edges of thin metal, each having an integral flange at the edge extending outwardly, the walls being considerably flexed outwardly as similar to the natural position a plane side would assume, when the tank was filled with liquid, and provided with a longitudinal rib approximately half way between its top and bottom oi? hollow substantially triangular construction in cross section, said rib having its inner edges shaped to flt the convex wall and secured thereto all along said edges to hold the wall permanently in its convex condition.

3. As an article of manufacture, a tank for holding liquids comprising sides, ends and bottom of thin acid-resistingrmetal, some of which are substantially rectangular each such side having an integral flange at the top land bottom and ends extending outwardly, each such wall being flexed 110 outwardly to the natural position a plane wall would assume, lwhen the tank was lled with liquid, and provided with a longitudinal rib approximately centrally located of hollow substan. tially triangular construction in cross section, said rib having its inner edges shaped to t the convex wall and secured thereto all along said edges to hold the wall permanently in its convex condition.

4. As an article of manufacture, a container having a plurality of walls of thin exible metal, said walls being bulged outwardly to the shape and condition which they would assume if under a state of stress from the inside equal at all points to the stress which would be caused on said flexible walls by the presence of a normal load of contents and provided with means on the outside for preventing said walls from bending back -from the said condition when the container is empty. e

5. As an article of manufacture, a container formed of a plurality of walls of flexible metal,

v'each wall of a general rectangular shape and on their outer edges to holdthe walls in their V bulged condition when the container is without contents.

` WARREN J'. SIMONDS. 

